Welcome to the fourth installment of our new works series - Tales by the Fire. Each year, playwrights submit plays based on a theme prompted by the company - this year we're exploring new plays adapted from or inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Come and join us for an evening of short plays performed in the style of staged readings, inspired by one of the fathers of modern mystery and horror!
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” But wait! A mouse IS stirring – because Santa missed his house last year.
Before you can say “Merry Christmas!”, we’re off on the wild adventure of a mouse, an elf, and a spunky little girl who just won’t take no for an answer. Don’t miss this joyful tribute to the holiday season!
Read MoreWho’s Holiday is a wildly funny, adults-only heartfelt comedy that tells the story of Cindy Lou Who as she recalls that Christmas Eve she first met the Grinch and the twisted turn of events her life has taken.
This one-woman show is a naughty and entertaining laugh riot that is sure to become a holiday favorite.
Harrisburg’s seasonal favorite is celebrating 25 years of magic this holiday season. This reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic story follows Ebenezer Scrooge and his journey with the three ghostly spirits that visit him on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol instills a powerful message about redemption and the spirit of the holiday season.
Read MoreSo talented they’re scary, it’s TMI, Gamut Theatre’s in-house improv team! TMI returns to the stage for its October show, which is sure to slay! You’ll die laughing! Missing this show would be a grave error! Other Halloween puns! One night only.
Read MoreBased on the beloved movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, White Christmas tells the story of two veterans turned song-and-dance men who meet a sister duo and follow them to an inn in Vermont.
Here, they discover the inn is owned by their old Army commanding officer who has fallen on hard times. The foursome decide to put on a show in an effort to save the inn. Hear your favorites Blue Skies, Sisters, Happy Holidays, and White Christmas, and more!
Read MoreJames Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece… and a rare modern classic.
Read MoreA lonesome Stranger sets out to teach a small town in the Wild West the importance of sharing, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew!
Read MoreHave you ever had a really rotten day? Alexander’s day is sure looking pretty bad… In this hilarious musical based on Judith Viorst’s best-selling classic, Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, his mother forgets to pack him dessert, and his best friend decides he’s not his best friend anymore, he trips on a skateboard, and then he accidentally drops his sweater in the sink—and all before breakfast!
Alexander can already tell— it’s going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!
Read MoreGilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance tells the story of Frederic, a contracted pirate apprentice, who leaves his band of pirates and falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of Major General Stanley. Joining with the local police force, Frederic plans to bring down the pirates. Those plans are halted, however, when it is revealed that Frederic neglected to read the fine print of his contract. Frederic must rejoin the pirates and enact revenge on the Major General. Will the pirates triumph? Or will the police force be able to stop them in time?
Read MoreThe creative team behind a recent Broadway production that flopped — due in no small part to the murder of three chorus girls by the enigmatic “Stage Door Slasher” — arrive at a mysterious New York mansion for a backer’s audition. However, their hopes of making it big are soon dashed when the “Stage Door Slasher” reappears and strikes again.
Read MoreLeaves are falling — and so will you be…in the aisles!! TMI, Gamut Theatre’s in-house improv team, returns to the stage for its first autumn show of 2024! One night only!
Read MoreAdapted from the Bram Stoker novel, this was one of the first—and still one of the most popular—plays Stage Door has ever produced, and no wonder!
Who can resist this deliciously gothic tale of the enigmatic and alluring Count. For this, our very first living-room-reading series, we’re bringing back several of the original actors, but we need you to round out the cast!
Read MoreDid you know that W. S. Gilbert (of him & Sullivan fame) hated Shakespeare? No, us either, so come along and find out just how much as we present Gilbert’s short play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, A Tragic Episode, in Three Tabloids.
First, though, we’ll remind you of the actual story as rendered by Bard Senseless, which is a very accurate 15-minute version of the play that takes no liberties at all.
Read MoreEmbark on an unforgettable journey with Ride the Cyclone, a darkly humorous and deeply poignant musical that follows the lives of six teen chamber choir singers tragically cut short by a roller coaster accident.
Transported to the afterlife's dilapidated carnival, they encounter The Amazing Karnak, a mechanical fortune teller who offers them a chance to return to life through storytelling. As they compete for this rare opportunity, the students sing and dance their way through a series of touching and hilarious performances, revealing their deepest hopes and fears.
Read MoreThe Piano Lesson is a poignant exploration of heritage, family ties, and the struggle for identity set against the backdrop of 1930s Pittsburgh. Through rich dialogue and vivid characters, The Piano Lesson resonates as a timeless testament to the complexities of legacy and the enduring power of the past. Performances will be held at West Art 800 Buchanan Avenue, Lancaster
Read MoreHop back to 1962 Baltimore with Tracy Turnblad, a16-year-old who’s ready to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Come find out! Enjoy the upbeat music and charming storyline sure to be a season favorite.
The beloved score of hit songs includes Welcome to the ’60s, Good Morning Baltimore, and You Can’t Stop the Beat.
Read MoreJenkins, the very proper butler, and Sarah Jane, the fiery Cockney maid, are preparing the Covington household for a visit from Edwina Corry, the world’s greatest mystery author and friend to the Covingtons. Other dinner guests soon arrive, but things soon come unraveled when one of the guests is found stabbed to death in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the evidence is stacked against poor Jenkins from the start, and when the bloody knife is found in his pocket, the guests tie him to a chair and call the police. The only problem? He didn’t do it.
Now he’s got just half an hour to figure out who the real murderer is — all while tied to the chair. Join the HCPAC adult cast and volunteers for High Tea, sandwiches, and murder!
Read MoreBased on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects.
Read MoreRomance! Murder! Doo-wop! Aliens!
A wildly entertaining dark sci-fi musical comedy, Little Shop of Horrors follows the misadventures of a lowly floral shopkeeper who discovers a seemingly harmless new breed of plant (with a secret taste for human blood) that carries ambitions that threaten our hero’s romantic inclinations… and the world!
Read More
